Celebrity Chef's Oath: No More Egg Fried Rice Amidst Nationalist Backlash
Renowned Chinese celebrity chef renounces his signature dish, egg fried rice, amidst a wave of nationalist criticism, revealing the untold story behind his unexpected decision
Egg fried rice is a well-loved dish in China and is widely recognized as an iconic staple of Chinese cuisine. However, in recent years, the dish has become a contentious topic for online nationalists in China, particularly during the months of October and November.
This week, emotions have been running high as one of the country's most renowned chefs was compelled to issue an apology for creating a video tutorial on how to prepare a certain dish. Wang Gang, a famous chef with over 10 million online followers, vowed in a video message on Monday that he would never again make egg fried rice.
Wang's "serious apology" was an effort to quell the intense backlash surrounding the video, which was uploaded to the Chinese social media platform Weibo on November 27th. Outraged nationalists accused Wang of using the video to ridicule the death of Mao Zedong's eldest son, Mao Anying, who was killed in an American air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.
Wang's video focused solely on preparing egg fried rice, but for certain Chinese nationalists, referencing the dish around Mao Anying's death anniversary or birthday on October 24 is considered a deliberate insult and mockery.
Ironically, by criticizing mentions of egg fried rice by prominent chefs and online influencers, nationalist users have unintentionally drawn attention to the rumor that their government is attempting to suppress.
Celebrity chef Wang Gang says he won't make egg fried rice again.
Chef Wang's YouTube channel reports a controversial incident involving Mao Anying, a People's Liberation Army officer who allegedly defied orders to take shelter during an air raid. Instead, he opted to cook egg fried rice, which resulted in smoke that exposed his position to enemy jets due to the smoke.
The version of events was recounted in the memoir of Yang Di, a military officer who served alongside the young Mao at the commanders headquarters. However, Chinese authorities have consistently denied it as mere rumor.
Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has taken strong action against those who criticize national heroes or challenge the official narrative surrounding them. In 2018, the country implemented a law prohibiting the defamation of national "heroes and martyrs," with the offense carrying a potential prison sentence of up to three years.
Last May, ex-investigative reporter Luo Changping was given a seven-month jail term for "defaming martyrs" who perished in a freeze during a Korean War clash. He had employed a play on words on social media to imply that Chinese troops depicted in a hit movie about the war were foolish.
Nigel Ng/YouTube
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In 2020, on the 70th anniversary of Mao Anying's death, the Chinese Academy of History, an official think tank established by Xi to address "misleading" interpretations of Communist Party history, denounced the egg fried rice narrative as "the most malicious rumor." According to a post on the social media platform Weibo, the academy stated, "These spreaders of false information have associated Mao Anying with egg fried rice, tarnishing the heroic image of his courageous sacrifice to the greatest extent. In short, their intentions are wicked."
Yangs memoir was discredited as "riddled with inconsistencies and unable to withstand any form of verification." Referring to other accounts from witnesses and declassified telegrams, the article concluded that Mao Anying's death was due to enemy forces identifying radio waves from the active telegraphs going to and from the headquarters in the days leading up to the air raid.
Despite official refutations, the controversial story about egg fried rice has endured. In certain corners of the Chinese internet, November 25 is honored as the "Egg Fried Rice Festival" or "Chinese Thanksgiving" – a tribute to the notion that if Mao had survived the war, he may have inherited power from his father and transformed China into a hereditary dictatorship similar to North Korea.
A Weibo user in the southern city of Nanchang was arrested by police and detained for 10 days in 2021 after making a post joking that "the greatest achievement of the Korean War is egg fried rice."
The post also included the comment, "Thank you egg fried rice. Without it, we would be the same as (North Korea) now."
My biggest mistake
Wangs egg-fried rice video, uploaded just two days after the anniversary of the younger Maos passing, was viewed as especially offensive given that it was not the first time he had "offended" Chinese nationalists.
In October 2018, Wang posted a video sharing his personal recipe for homemade egg fried rice. Just two days later, on Mao Anying's birthday, the Communist Party affiliated newspaper, the People's Daily, shared Wang's video. This unexpected action led to criticism and accusations of the newspaper being influenced by outside sources.
Then, in October 2020, Wang shared another cooking video, this time showcasing a deluxe version of Yangzhou fried rice with ham, shrimp, peas, carrots, and eggs. This video caused an outcry among nationalists, leading Wang to quickly issue an apology in response.
"I was unaware of this situation until I posted the video today and read all the comments," he wrote in response to the video. "I simply wanted to share the amazing food and had no ulterior motives."
Following the recent criticism on Monday, Wang clarified in his apology that his team had posted the video without his knowledge.
Wang, 34, who comes from a rural village in Sichuan province, expressed regret after removing the cooking video, acknowledging that it had caused distress and a negative experience for all. He stated, "I apologize once more. I have been preoccupied with personal affairs and was not involved in the video's release. It was a grave error on my part." Wang revealed that his grandfather had served in the Korean War and had spent six years in North Korea.
He admires his grandfather and has aspired to be a soldier since he was young, but he didn't pass the physical examination to join the army at 17. "Soldiers are very sacred to me," he explained. However, Wang's critics are not willing to let it go easily.
The comment questioned whether it was truly a coincidence the first time, or if it was intentional every single time. Calls were made to ban Wang from Chinese social media, with some urging authorities to penalize him for allegedly insulting national "heroes and martyrs" in violation of the 2018 law.
Some have also defended Wang, pointing out that the chef has shared egg fried rice in various months of the year. "You don't owe anyone an apology. It's society that owes you an apology," stated a Weibo user in solidarity with Wang.
"Let's make it clear and enact a total ban on consuming and preparing egg fried rice in November, or even consider removing it from Chinese cuisine altogether," suggested another supporter.
Hu Xijin, a prominent nationalist figure and former editor-in-chief of Global Times, warned that many are still uninformed about the rumors surrounding Mao Anying. He urged public opinion to be more forgiving of unintentional references to "relevant elements" around the younger Mao's birthday and death anniversary.
Hu wrote that showing more tolerance towards each other and not turning this into a heated topic will greatly honor and protect martyr Mao Anying's heroic spirit. This approach will also help to gradually reduce the intensity of the issue and minimize the damage caused by rumors. On the other hand, continually fueling controversies will only serve to amplify the impact of the rumors.
On Tuesday, Wang removed the video of his apology and closed the comment sections on his Weibo page.
